Sports food is a complex of vitamins created for athletes (both men, and women) for the purpose of improvement of professional indicators and completion of the nutrients spent on training occupations. Sports additives are developed by physiologists and nutritionists on the basis of various scientific tests.
About value
Intake of vitamins is recommended both to beginners, and professional athletes on different levels of training. The vitamin deficiency arises at their lack of a daily food allowance and also owing to big psychophysical loadings.
However that is not all the reasons for which at athletes the need vitamins increases. It should be noted also accelerated metabolism and their fast removal from an organism, including through sweating.
In the course of the active physical trainings and competitions many useful elements are massively spent therefore there is a double need in vitamins. As the result, sharply falls efficiency of the person.
Organic matter is a part of the enzymes which are participants of process of metabolism and exchange of energy. Thus, they play a significant role both in providing an organism of the athlete with energy, and in other vital signs of an organism.
The use of set of vitamins is expedient in case a food allowance, the mechanism of restoration and the system of rest are contrary to loadings.
Besides, these useful substances have in general beneficial influence on an organism:
- are direct participants of exchange processes in an organism;
- strengthen immunity of an organism to effect of hazardous substances and pathogenic microorganisms;
- provide intensity of growth of muscles and increase its working capacity;
- guarantee the fortress of a muscle, connecting and bone tissue;
- provide acid-base balance;
- promote increase in effectiveness of sports preparation.
Important! In case of unreasonable physical activities on each 1000 kcal the need in a complex of organic matter approximately increases by 33%.
Natural or purchased?
Further we will try to find out what vitamins for athletes it is better — natural or artificial. On the example of vitamin C we will define a difference between them. Natural vitamin C includes seven isomers of ascorbic acid which are among themselves in close correlation.
It is difficult to such connectivity to achieve in industrial conditions. As a part of purchased vitamin medicines there is only one of seven isomers. Similar situation and with vitamin E.
Removal of all isomers — very labor-consuming and expensive procedure. Not each pharmacological enterprise will undertake similar financial loading. Because of inferiority, artificial antioxidants are digested on average only for 1-5%.
Insignificant part is removed with urine, and all other volume accumulates in an organism. This fact can provoke development of various illnesses which the person did not have before intake of synthetic additives. Besides additional strain is experienced by a liver. Let's give one more important fact: in a formula of each natural vitamin there is a part of the proteinaceous basis that is not present in purchased complexes.
Whether you know? In 1994 the Finnish scientists conducted researches on patients with the purpose to find out how artificial antioxidants protect the person from oncological illnesses. Doctors selected two categories of male smokers. The first group for six years received artificial vitamin E and also beta carotene. To other group these antioxidants did not register. It was supposed what in the first category of cases of incidence will be less. Results of tests brought into surprise even doctors. It turned out that in the first group (among accepting artificial antioxidants) the incidence increased by 18%.
Proceeding from all aforesaid, we recommend to you to give preference to natural vitamins whenever possible.
Sources of vitamins and minerals: popular products
Food are the most significant sources of useful substances both for male athletes, and for female sportswomen. We already talked about value and nutritious characteristics of vitamins therefore lists of products which contain important organic matter are provided further.
Vitamin A
The best natural sources of Retinolum are: cod-liver oil, liver, yolk of egg, orange color vegetables and fruit (for example, apricot, pumpkin and carrots), dogrose, cheese, butter.
Group B vitamins
Water-soluble organic elements of group B are the whole complex of useful substances.
The best natural sources: buckwheat, brown rice, haricot, peas, coarse flour, white bread from coarse flour, yeast, soy, beef, a liver, kidneys, heart, brains, pork, light chicken meat, meat of a rabbit, seafood (crabs), fish (a flounder, a herring, a sardine sardinops, a pilcharda and a sardinella), egg egg yolk and white, milk, sour cream, cottage cheese, cheese (sheep cheese), broccoli cabbage, a cauliflower, fresh greens, spinach, a sheet green salad, young cabbage, green peas, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, sunflower seeds, nuts, mushrooms (champignons), apples, bananas.
Vitamin C
Ascorbic acid contains in a dogrose, a sea-buckthorn, broccoli, fennel, sweet red pepper, a lemon, a kiwi, a papaya, orange, strawberry, blackcurrant.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D can be received from seafood, cod-liver oil, lactic products (first of all, cottage cheese), egg egg yolk and white.
Vitamin E
And one more antioxidant — vitamin E contains in grain bread, fish of fat grades, vegetable oil, nuts, bean and also in sprouts of wheat and corn.
Sports additives
Effectively only vitamin supplements can compensate deficiency of organic matter in the athlete's organism during active training occupations. We collected for you the checked medicines from the known brands. The additives which are selected by us contain the special ingredients accelerating digestion of all nutrients.
Optimum Nutrition Opti-Men
Optimum Nutrition Opti-Men is a set of the required vitamins for men who seriously do bodybuilding powerlifting and other professional sports. Set is intentionally created for a male body, making on it salutary impact and increasing endurance.
Whether you know? The sports additive first in the history was created in 1934. It was dry mix on the basis of vegetable components which were specially grown up on the soil with the increased content of the required mineral substances.
Complex medicine helps to adapt to constant loads better. Also Opti-Men has the tempering effect, stimulates brain activity, increases immunity and intensifies metabolism.
Optimum Nutrition Opti-Women
At the modern market it is presented many vitamin and mineral complexes made only for women. One of the best is Opti-Women Optimum Nutrition. Means considers features of a female body.
Medicine makes the all-strengthening impact, improves metabolism, makes active the intellectual and physical potential of the woman. Two capsules of means contain all organic matter and minerals, irreplaceable during the day.
Vita Jym
Vita Jym is the multivitamin complex supporting activity of an organism of the athlete. Additive suits for athletes of any level, it can be combined with diets, training occupations.
Means accelerates growth of muscles, supports joints and ligaments. As a part of Vita Jym 25 most significant micronutrients are collected. At the same time the complex does not include the minerals suppressing intake of amino acids and digestion of other important components.
Animal Pak Universal Nutrition
It is a set of the useful minerals demanded to each professional athlete. Animal Pak Universal Nutrition — one of the best complexes accelerating formation of the expressed muscles and raising sports records.
Means contains extracts of plants, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants and also amino acids and proteins. This additive is a universal decision at daily intense trainings. You quickly improve results and return from occupations.
Additive is presented at the market from 1980th, and during this time its efficiency was estimated by hundreds of world-class athletes. Will suit also those who only begin to be engaged seriously, constantly raising loadings.
Muscle Pharm Armor-V
This complex medicine contains exclusively natural ingredients: extracts of the herbs responsible for normal functioning of an organism of the athlete.
If you are not at a stage of active preparation for competitions, it is recommended to consume no more than one dose of means a day. At additional trainings the insignificant increase in a daily portion is allowed (to two capsules in morning and in afternoon).
It is important! Though side effects from reception of Armor-V are not found, doctors nevertheless do not recommend to increase a daily portion self-willedally.
Vitamin B-Complex
Vitamin B-Complex is complex dietary supplement for the professional athletes and people who are actively playing amateur sports. The complex consists of a full range of vitamins of group B.
This organic matter is significant participants in power generation, exchange of carbohydrates. Besides a set of auxiliary actions, Vitamin B Complex adjusts sugar level in blood. Besides additive contains useful yeast, salts and preservatives.
Use of sports food: precautionary measures
Let's consider what contraindications and cautions at intake of vitamin supplements exist. First, sports additives need to be used strictly according to the instruction. Do not neglect preliminary consultation at the doctor.
Carefully combine with the taken medicine. For the best assimilation of polyvitaminic complexes their consumption has to be combined with the healthy balanced food.
Also do not forget that the surplus of a number of vitamins provokes an imbalance in an organism and often results in opposite result. Uncontrolled intake of synthetic antioxidants can negatively affect the general state of health.
Long-term intake of sports additives is harmful. The organism gets used to continuous injection and begins to respond allergic reactions, the general frustration. After consumption of additives for one-two months it is recommended to take a break. Thanks to such pause the organism will keep ability to receiving useful elements from food. A contraindication is the individual intolerance of components of a product.
Important! It is forbidden to use vitamin complexes to pregnant women and the feeding women and also persons which did not reach 18-year age.
Thus, only the full satisfaction of need for vitamins allows athletes to hold effectively trainings and to quickly restore forces after the strengthened loadings.